KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team heads back out on the road to take on the University of Michigan on Thursday at 7 p.m. before returning home to host IUPUI on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Thursday's game can be seen live on Big Ten Network Plus, while Sunday's game will be streamed for free at www.wmubroncos.com/watch.
The Broncos split their first week of the regular season, falling at Louisville 6-2 before rebounding with a 5-1 home-win over Detroit Mercy. Five different Bronco scored in the victory.
BLACKBURN'S BIG WEEK
Sophomore forward
Jenna Blackburn finished last season tied for the team lead with four assists and earned a spot on the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team. The one thing Blackburn didn't achieve as a freshman was her first collegiate goal.
That all changed in the first half against Louisville when
Kai Sugiyama played a ball into space and Blackburn raced for an open shot and fired the ball into the left side of the net in the 37th minute. It didn't take long for her to get her second career goal, scoring in the 60th minute to cut the Cardinals' lead in half, 4-2.
The Grand Blanc, Mich., native then added her third of the season in WMU's win over Detroit Mercy, pushing the game out of reach to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead early in the second half. Thanks to her scoring prowess she was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time of her career.
A COUPLE MORE OF FIRSTS
Blackburn wasn't the only Bronco to tally her first collegiate goal in the opening week. Freshman
Mary Dziuba and sophomore
Cas Flanagan also tallied their first career goals. Freshmen
Mira Pierre-Webster and
Madison Salzenstein also recorded their first career assists in the win over the Titans.
THE OPPOSITION
Michigan opened the season with a pair of wins over Butler and Bowling Green. The Wolverines downed the Bulldogs on the road, 5-0, and then earned a 2-1 win over the reigning MAC Champion Falcons. Six different players registered goals in the opening week for the Maize and Blue.
IUPUI is 1-1 heading into Sunday's game with a 4-3 overtime loss at Eastern Kentucky before defeating Marian 4-0. Senior Midfielder Elizabeth Bueckers leads the Jaguars in scoring with four goals so far, including a hat trick against EKU.
ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan heads back on the road next Thursday to Indiana for a 7 p.m. showdown. The Broncos then welcome the University of Southern California to WMU Soccer Complex on Sunday at 11 a.m.
